“I wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone. If I opened the window and waved to other Filipina’s, she would pull my hair and beat me. For three years, she locked me in the house”  

This is not a section from a fictional story, but an actual experience shared by a woman who worked as a maid under the Kafala System in Lebanon. To those unaware of the system, it was initiated to increase the economy of GULF Arab countries, as well as Lebanon and Jordan, in the 1950’s, through the employment of domestic labour workers hired by private recruitment agencies. These workers, mainly women from African and South-East Asian countries, come into Lebanon and other countries not expecting the abuse that they may be subjected to. I chose to explore this topic within Lebanon because aside from the fact that I am of Lebanese descent, I was deeply moved after hearing first and second-hand accounts of the mistreatment some of these women have gone through. There are currently around 250,000 workers in Lebanon, and whilst the problem effects thousands, I chose to focus on the plight of a few and to paint with a mainly blue-influenced palette to convey the sorrow endured by people trapped in abusive situations. I titled my series Modern Day Slavery as it is often used to describe the system and that I believe is the most accurate label for it.

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Excerpt from Patrick Rak's "Modern day slavery: kafala system in Lebanon", 2021  

oil on canvas

700 x 498 x 15 mm

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Excerpt from Amnesty International's "Their home is my prison", 2021  

oil on canvas  

700 x 498 x 15 mm

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Excerpt from Joey Ayoub's "The Lebanese revolution must abolish the kafala system", 2021  

acrylic on canvas  

355 x 455 x 25 mm

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Excerpt from Winnie Linet's "My name is Winnie, I survived Lebanon's kafala system", 2021  

acrylic on wooden panel  

700 x 453 x 15 mm

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Excerpt #2 from Winnie Linet's "My Name is Winnie, I survived Lebanon's kafala system", 2021  

acrylic and collage on canvas  

500 x 400 x 15 mm

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